id: 138765 accession number: 1963.154 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1963.154 updated: 2022-09-10 10:27:35.252000 Statue of Gudea, c. 2143–2142 BC. Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, Girsu, 2143-2124 BC. Dolerite; overall: 126 x 55 x 36 cm (49 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 14 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1963.154 title: Statue of Gudea title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 2143–2142 BC creation date earliest: -2143 creation date latest: -2124 current location: 100 1916 Lobby creditline: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund copyright: --- culture: Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, Girsu, 2143-2124 BC technique: dolerite department: Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art collection: Near Eastern Art type: Sculpture find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 126 x 55 x 36 cm (49 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 14 3/16 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Year in Review (1963) opening date: 1963-11-26T05:00:00 Year in Review (1963). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 26, 1963-January 5, 1964). title: Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture opening date: 1975-09-24T04:00:00 Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE Feuerdent Coll., Paris date: footnotes: citations: E. S. David date: footnotes: citations: Feuerdent Coll., Paris; (E. S. David) date: footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: Gudea was an ancient Sumerian ruler who governed the city of Lagash late in the 3rd millennium BC. This statue is missing its head, but it is identified as Gudea, the clasped hand gesture typical for representations of him. Statues like this one would have been votive dedications offered to the gods by Gudea, demonstrating his devotion and piety. digital description: wall description: Gudea was the political and religious governor of Lagash, one of the oldest Sumerian cities. More than 2,400 inscriptions mention his name and describe his 20-year campaign of city improvements, including new temples and irrigation canals. He was also a patron of the arts. Of the more than 30 statues of Gudea that survive, this is one of the finest examples. Many statues had their heads severed in an effort to destroy their ritual potency. This figure’s clasped hands create a distinctive, unnatural gesture that recurs frequently in both seated and standing versions; it may be an expression of devotion, humility, or piety. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. page number: Reproduced: p. 10 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n34 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. page number: Reproduced: p. 10 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n32 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. page number: Reproduced: p. 2 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n22 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. page number: Reproduced: p. 3 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1991/page/n19 Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. page number: Mentioned and reproduced: P. 67 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.154/1963.154_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.154/1963.154_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.154/1963.154_full.tif